Search

Nrf2 is a master transcription factor that regulates a wide variety of cellular proteins by recognizing and binding to antioxidant response elements (AREs) in their gene promoter regions. In this study we show that increasing cellular Nrf2 results in transcriptional activation of the gene for mTOR, which is central to the PI3K signaling pathway. This is the case in cells with normal physiological PI3K. However, in cells with abnormally active PI3K increased cellular Nrf2 levels have no effect on mTOR. ChIP assays results show that increased Nrf2 binding is associated with decreased p65 binding and H3-K27me3 signal (marker of gene repression) as well as increased H3-K4me3 signal (marker of gene activation). However, in cells with PI3K activation, no effect of cellular Nrf2 increase on mTOR transcription was observed. In these cells, increasing Nrf2 levels increases Nrf2 promoter binding marginally, whereas p65 binding and H3-K27me3 mark were significantly increased, and H3-K4me3 signal is reduced. Together, these data show for the first time that Nrf2 directly regulates mTOR transcription when the PI3K pathway is intact, whereas this function is lost when PI3K is activated. We have identified a link between the Nrf2 system of sensing environmental stress and mTOR, which is a key cellular protein in metabolism. Studies in cells with activating mutations in the PI3K pathway suggest that Nrf2 transcriptional regulation of mTOR is related to promoter binding of p65 and of methylation of histone residues permissive of transcription.

A new role for the mutlifunctional protein CTCF in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks is discovered., The repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) is mediated via two major pathways, nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) and homologous recombination (HR) repair. DSB repair is vital for cell survival, genome stability, and tumor suppression. In contrast to NHEJ, HR relies on extensive homology and templated DNA synthesis to restore the sequence surrounding the break site. We report a new role for the multifunctional protein CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) in facilitating HR-mediated DSB repair. CTCF is recruited to DSB through its zinc finger domain independently of poly(ADP-ribose) polymers, known as PARylation, catalyzed by poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1). CTCF ensures proper DSB repair kinetics in response to γ-irradiation, and the loss of CTCF compromises HR-mediated repair. Consistent with its role in HR, loss of CTCF results in hypersensitivity to DNA damage, inducing agents and inhibitors of PARP. Mechanistically, CTCF acts downstream of BRCA1 in the HR pathway and associates with BRCA2 in a PARylation-dependent manner, enhancing BRCA2 recruitment to DSB. In contrast, CTCF does not influence the recruitment of the NHEJ protein 53BP1 or LIGIV to DSB. Together, our findings establish for the first time that CTCF is an important regulator of the HR pathway.

This article has been withdrawn at the request of the editor. The paper was accidentally improperly processed in the editorial system. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. The full Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal can be found at http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy .

The basis for the differential repressive effects of antiestrogens on transactivation by estrogen receptor-α (ERα) remains incompletely understood. Here, we show that the full antiestrogen ICI182,780 and, to a lesser extent, the selective ER modulator raloxifene (Ral), induce accumulation of exogenous ERα in a poorly soluble fraction in transiently transfected HepG2 or stably transfected MDA-MB231 cells and of endogenous receptor in MCF7 cells. ERα remained nuclear in HepG2 cells treated with either compound. Replacement of selected hydrophobic residues of ERα ligand-binding domain helix 12 (H12) enhanced receptor solubility in the presence of ICI182,780 or Ral. These mutations also increased transcriptional activity with Ral or ICI182,780 on reporter genes or on the endogenous estrogen target gene TFF1 in a manner requiring the integrity of the N-terminal AF-1 domain. The antiestrogen-specific effects of single mutations suggest that they affect receptor function by mechanisms other than a simple decrease in hydrophobicity of H12, possibly due to relief from local steric hindrance between these residues and the antiestrogen side chains. Fluorescence anisotropy experiments indicated an enhanced regional stabilization of mutant ligand-binding domains in the presence of antiestrogens. H12 mutations also prevent the increase in bioluminescence resonance energy transfer between ERα monomers induced by Ral or ICI182,780 and increase intranuclear receptor mobility in correlation with transcriptional activity in the presence of these antiestrogens. Our data indicate that ICI182,780 and Ral locally alter the ERα ligand binding structure via specific hydrophobic residues of H12 and decrease its transcriptional activity through tighter association with an insoluble nuclear structure.

CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) is a key regulator of nuclear chromatin structure and gene regulation. The impact of CTCF on transcriptional output is highly varied, ranging from repression to transcriptional pausing and transactivation. The multifunctional nature of CTCF may be directed solely through remodeling chromatin architecture. However, another hypothesis is that the multifunctional nature of CTCF is mediated, in part, through differential association with protein partners having unique functions. Consistent with this hypothesis, our mass spectrometry analyses of CTCF interacting partners reveal a previously undefined association with the transcription factor general transcription factor II-I (TFII-I). Biochemical fractionation of CTCF indicates that a distinct CTCF complex incorporating TFII-I is assembled on DNA. Unexpectedly, we found that the interaction between CTCF and TFII-I is essential for directing CTCF to the promoter proximal regulatory regions of target genes across the genome, particularly at genes involved in metabolism. At genes coregulated by CTCF and TFII-I, we find knockdown of TFII-I results in diminished CTCF binding, lack of cyclin-dependent kinase 8 (CDK8) recruitment, and an attenuation of RNA polymerase II phosphorylation at serine 5. Phenotypically, knockdown of TFII-I alters the cellular response to metabolic stress. Our data indicate that TFII-I directs CTCF binding to target genes, and in turn the two proteins cooperate to recruit CDK8 and enhance transcription initiation.

The repair of DNA double strand breaks (DSB) is mediated via two major pathways, non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) or homologous recombination repair (HRR). Such repair is critical for cell survival and genome stability. Here, we report a new role for the multifunctional protein CTCF in facilitating the repair of DSB via the HRR pathway. CTCF is recruited to DSB through its zinc finger domain independently of poly(ADP-ribose) polymers catalyzed by PARP-1. CTCF ensures proper DSB repair kinetics in response to gamma-irradiation, and potentiates activation of the G2/M checkpoint. We find that CTCF regulates HRR through facilitating the recruitment of BRCA2, which is dependent on CTCF PARylation. In contrast, CTCF does not influence the recruitment, or retention, of the NHEJ protein 53BP1 to DSB. We also see that loss of CTCF is associated with hypersensitivity to DNA damaging inducing agents and inhibitors of PARP-1. Taken together, our findings establish for the first time that CTCF is an important regulator of the HRR pathway and indicate that tumors harboring hypo-PARylated CTCF may show elevated sensitivity to PARP inhibition. Citation Format: Khalid Hilmi, Chenxi Zhang, Zhenbao Yu, Amine Saad, Stephane Richard, Luke McCaffrey, Moulay A. Alaoui-Jamali, Michael Witcher. CTCF facilitates DNA double-strand break repair by homologous recombination [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on DNA Repair: Tumor Development and Therapeutic Response; 2016 Nov 2-5; Montreal, QC, Canada. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Res 2017;15(4_Suppl):Abstract nr A12.

The selective estrogen receptor downregulator (SERD) fulvestrant can be used as second-line treatment for patients relapsing after treatment with tamoxifen, a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM). Unlike tamoxifen, SERDs are devoid of partial agonist activity. While the full antiestrogenicity of SERDs may result in part from their capacity to downregulate levels of estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) through proteasome-mediated degradation, SERDs are also fully antiestrogenic in the absence of increased receptor turnover in HepG2 cells. Here we report that SERDs induce the rapid and strong SUMOylation of ERα in ERα-positive and -negative cell lines, including HepG2 cells. Four sites of SUMOylation were identified by mass spectrometry analysis. In derivatives of the SERD ICI164,384, SUMOylation was dependent on the length of the side chain and correlated with full antiestrogenicity. Preventing SUMOylation by the overexpression of a SUMO-specific protease (SENP) deSUMOylase partially derepressed transcription in the presence of full antiestrogens in HepG2 cells without a corresponding increase in activity in the presence of agonists or of the SERM tamoxifen. Mutations increasing transcriptional activity in the presence of full antiestrogens reduced SUMOylation levels and suppressed stimulation by SENP1. Our results indicate that ERα SUMOylation contributes to full antiestrogenicity in the absence of accelerated receptor turnover.

FOXA1 and GATA3 are two luminal lineage transcription factors that form a cross-regulatory transcriptional network that controls the morphogenesis of the mammary gland and regulates estrogen receptor (ER) signaling. Approximately two thirds of breast tumors overexpress ER at the time of diagnosis. Antiestrogen therapy has been effective in blocking the proliferative effects of ER, but unfortunately a significant proportion of patients will relapse due to resistance. Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACis) have been shown to suppress ER expression in ER+ breast cancer cells and are currently being tested in clinical trials in combination with antiestrogens for treatment of ER+ breast tumors. Here, we report that the HDACi Trichostatin A (TSA) abrogates the expression of FOXA1 and GATA3, as well as that of ER in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Using gene expression microarrays, we observed that several markers of lactogenic differentiation including the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway were induced by TSA treatment. Moreover, expression of ER, FOXA1 and GATA3 is reduced during lactation in the mouse mammary gland. Finally, overexpression of GATA3 in MCF-7 cells reduced the TSA-mediated induction of lactogenic markers, suggesting that GATA3 may act as a repressor of lactogenic differentiation. Altogether, our studies suggest that HDACi treatment partially mimics differentiation events taking place in ER+ cells during lactogenesis. Future experiments will examine the mechanisms and clinical relevance of the differentiation properties of HDACis. Citation Format: Houssam Ismail, Martine Bail, David Laperrière, Khalid Hilmi, Sylvie Mader. Histone deacetylase inhibitors as differentiation agents in breast cancer cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Chromatin and Epigenetics in Cancer; Jun 19-22, 2013; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(13 Suppl):Abstract nr A55.

Cancer constitutes a set of diseases with heterogeneous molecular pathologies. However, there are a number of universal aberrations common to all cancers, one of these being the epigenetic silencing of tumor suppressor genes (TSGs). The silencing of TSGs is thought to be an early, driving event in the oncogenic process. With this in consideration, great efforts have been made to develop small molecules aimed at the restoration of TSGs in order to limit tumor cell proliferation and survival. However, the molecular forces that drive the broad epigenetic reprogramming and transcriptional repression of these genes remain ill-defined. Undoubtedly, understanding the molecular underpinnings of transcriptionally silenced TSGs will aid us in our ability to reactivate these key anti-cancer targets. Here, we describe what we consider to be the five most logical molecular mechanisms that may account for this widely observed phenomenon: 1) ablation of transcription factor binding, 2) overexpression of DNA methyltransferases, 3) disruption of CTCF binding, 4) elevation of EZH2 activity, 5) aberrant expression of long non-coding RNAs. The strengths and weaknesses of each proposed mechanism is highlighted, followed by an overview of clinical efforts to target these processes.